Powerlifting

2022-23 Lifting Sports Schedule/Recap

Date Event Location Recap
Sept. 10-11 MidAmerica Nazarene University Open (WL) Olathe, Kan. Recap
Oct. 8 Midland University Warrior Open (PL) Fremont, Neb. Recap
Nov. 5 Midwest Regionals at University of Iowa (WL) Iowa City, Iowa Recap
Nov. 19-20 Midwest Regionals at William Jewell University (PL) Liberty, Mo. Recap
Jan. 21 Heartland Open (WL) Omaha, Neb. Recap
Jan. 28 Nebraska State Championships at Midland (PL) Fremont, Neb. Recap
March 3-5 Collegiate Weightlifting Nationals (WL) Columbus, Ohio Recap
April 13-16 Collegiate Powerlifting Nationals (PL) Arlington, Texas Recap

2022-23 Roster

MEN Year Wt. Hometown Previous School
Dax Davis So. 67.5 kg Grand Island, Neb. Grand Island Senior HS
Grant Fristo So. 89 kg Lee's Summit, Mo. Summit Christian Academy
Evan Fukuhara Fr. 73 kg Sacramento, Calif. John F. Kennedy HS
Garin Gilmore Fr. 125 kg Riverton, Kan. Riverton HS
Jack Hedke So. 110 kg Marysville, Kan. Marysville HS
Adrian Hernandez Fr. 110 kg Grand Island, Neb. Grand Island Senior HS
Mitch Myers Fr. 81 kg Lakeville, Minn. Lakeville South HS
Pryce Ostermeier Fr. 90 kg Grand Island, Neb. Grand Island Senior HS
Hunter Powers Fr. 75 kg Grand Island, Neb. Grand Island Senior HS
Garrett Reimche Fr. 75 kg Lenexa, Kan. Midland Adventist Academy
Joe Vega Fr. 82.5 kg Middleton, Idaho Vision Charter HS
Jacob Wagoner Fr. 75 kg Columbus, Neb. Columbus HS
         
WOMEN Year Wt. Hometown Previous School
Mary Berris Fr. 49 kg Windsor, Colo. Windsor HS
Emily Guter Fr. 87 kg Rocklin, Calif. Rocklin HS
Kenzie Houser So. 67.5 kg Riverton, Kan. Riverton HS / Fort Scott CC
Rylee Kara Fr. 71 kg Osseo, Minn. Osseo Senior HS
Rylee Ladd Fr. 56 kg Chetek, Wis. Cameron HS
Kayleigh Maloney Fr. 64 kg Nampa, Idaho Kuna HS
Emma Singer Sr. 60 kg Spearfish, S.D. Belle Fourche HS
Abigail Velten So. 67.5 kg Whitesboro, Texas Whitesboro HS
Sydney Wadsworth Fr. 87 kg Meridian, Idaho Mountain View HS

STAFF

Freddie Myles, Head Coach (1st Year)

Four Bulldogs place first, widespread improvement made at Nebraska State Championships

Jan. 30, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Powerlifting team continued to make strides as it competed in its third competition as a young program. The Bulldogs were represented by 10 lifters at the Nebraska State Championships held at Midland in Fremont, Neb., this past Saturday (Jan. 28) and came away with four first-place finishes. The event featured a combined 87 collegiate, high school and adult athletes who competed in the standard powerlifting disciplines of squat, bench press and deadlift.

Every single Bulldog improved compared to the team’s most recent outing, the Midwest Regionals on Nov. 19. First place claims were made by Dax Davis (67.5kg), Adrian Hernandez (110kg), Hunter Powers (75kg) and Emma Singer (60kg). Between powerlifting and weightlifting, Head Coach Freddie Myles has led the Bulldogs into a total of six competitions in the program’s inaugural 2022-23 season.

“It was a really good meet,” Myles said. “Everyone improved their total from the last meet in November. For those who are done with their seasons, they did a great job of working hard and getting stronger in the room. For those who made nationals, it’s a great accomplishment. We’re going to take five athletes from powerlifting to nationals. We had three on the men’s side that were really close, and I think they’ll make it next year. This was a meet where we saw high placements and a lot of our kids added a good 10 to 15 kilos to their totals compared to our last meet.”

Highlights from the meet for each individual are detailed below. Not only did four Bulldogs win four titles, Rylee Ladd, Garret Reimche and Jacob Wagoner placed second and Kenzie Houser placed third (within their respective weight classes). In addition, Abigail Velten also managed to eclipse the national qualifying total and Wagoner went a perfect 9-for-9 on his lifts.

Highlights from Nebraska State Championships – Jan. 28

--Noted improvements are compared to the previous outing at the Midwest Regionals on Nov. 19.

·        Dax Davis – Improved by 20kg; placed first in the 67.5kg class.

·        Adrian Hernandez – Improved by 15kg; placed first in the 110kg class.

·        Jack Hedke – Competed in first career college competition and placed third in an open across weights class.

·        Kenzie Houser – Stepped down a weight class and improved her total by 12.5kg; placed third.

·        Rylee Ladd – Improved by 12.5kg and placed second in the state.

·        Hunter Powers – Improved by 10kg and placed first in the 75kg class.

·        Garrett Reimche – Improved by 12.5kg and placed second in the 75kg class.

·        Emma Singer – Placed first in the 60kg class while improving from the last meet.

·        Jacob Wagoner – Went 9-for-9 on his lifts, improved 20kg and placed second in the 82.5kg class.

·        Abigail Velten – Made the national qualifying total and went 8-for-9 on her lifts.

Next up for the Concordia Powerlifters are the Collegiate Powerlifting Nationals scheduled for April 13-16 in Arlington, Texas. That meet will conclude the 2022-23 season for the Bulldogs, who also competed at the Midland Warrior Open (Oct. 8) and Midwest Regionals (Nov. 19).

University weightlifting nationals set for Friday-Saturday in Columbus, Ohio

Feb. 28, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – The inaugural season of competitive weightlifting at Concordia will wrap up this Thursday and Friday (March 2-3) with the 2023 National University Championships, sponsored by USA Weightlifting. The national championship event will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, where four qualifying Bulldogs will put themselves to the test. It will mark the first time the program has ever been represented on the collegiate national scene.

Head Coach Freddie Myles will travel Mary Berris, Evan Fukuhara, Kayleigh Maloney and Rylee Kara to Columbus. Says Myles, “Everyone’s training has gone well and I’m looking forward to the team performing at its best at nationals.”

Concordia National Competitors

·        Mary Berris (49kg) | Windsor, Colo.

·        Evan Fukuhara (73kg) | Sacramento, Calif.

·        Rylee Kara (64kg) | Osseo, Minn.

·        Kayleigh Maloney (59kg) | Nampa, Idaho

As Myles noted, Berris, Fukuhara and Maloney are rated in the top five on their respective start lists. As a team, Concordia Weightlifting has competed in three previous meets in 2022-23: the Kansas Open (Sept. 10), Midwest Regionals (Nov. 5) and Heartland Open (Jan. 21). Collegiate weightlifting tests each athlete in the disciplines of snatch and clean and jerk. In the most recent outing, the Heartland Open, Berris (49kg), Fukuhara (81kg) and Kara (64kg) each placed first in their respective weight classes.

More details on the 2023 National University Championships can be found via the USA Weightlifting website HERE.​​​​​​

Maloney wins first place medal in snatch; four Bulldogs represent program at nationals

Mar. 6, 2023

COLUMBUS, Ohio – It was another first for Concordia University Lifting Sports over the weekend as four Bulldogs represented the weightlifting team at the 2023 National University Championships held March 2-3. The inaugural season for weightlifting was capped at the national event hosted at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, where Kayleigh Maloney earned a first place medal in the discipline of snatch. The competition marked the first time Concordia has taken part in a national championship event in either weightlifting or powerlifting.

Head Coach Freddie Myles led the weightlifters into action at three previous competitions: the Kansas Open (Sept. 10), Midwest Regionals (Nov. 5) and Heartland Open (Jan. 21).

Individual highlights from the National University Championships (sponsored by USA Weightlifting) are included below. Weightlifting tests each athlete in the disciplines of snatch and clean and jerk. Overall national finishes for Bulldog athletes within their own weight classes were fourth for Merry Berris, fourth for Evan Fukuhara, 12th for Rylee Kara and sixth for Maloney. Fukuhara was in a close battle for third at 73kg. A native of Nampa, Idaho, Maloney was given a medal for her national title in snatch at 59kg. Both Berris and Fukuhara either reset or equaled personal bests in their lifts.

Individual Highlights

·        Marry Berris – Placed fourth in the 49kg weight class; improved her total by 17.5 percent for the season and set new personal bests in both lifts.

·        Evan Fukuhara – Placed fourth in the 73kg class; equaled personal best in clean and jerk.

·        Rylee Kara – Placed 12th in the 64kg class.

·        Kayleigh Maloney – Placed sixth in the 59kg class; took first place in snatch.

While weightlifting has completed its 2022-23 season, Concordia Powerlifting now looks forward to its national championships. Powerlifting nationals will unfold in Arlington, Texas, April 13-16.

USA Powerlifting Collegiate Nationals set for this week in Arlington, Texas

Apr. 11, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – The inaugural season of competitive powerlifting at Concordia will wrap up this Thursday through Sunday (April 13-16) with the 2023 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships. The national championship event will be held at the Arlington Expo Center in Arlington, Texas, where four qualifying Bulldogs will put themselves to the test. It will mark the first time the program has ever been represented on the collegiate powerlifting national scene.

Head Coach Freddie Myles will travel Dax Davis, Kenzie Houser, Rylee Ladd and Emma Singer to Arlington. Singer will have the honor of representing Concordia at national championship events in both shooting sports and powerlifting.

Concordia National Competitors

·        Dax Davis, 67.5kg (Grand Island, Neb.)

·        Kenzie Houser, 60kg (Riverton, Kan.)

·        Rylee Ladd, 56kg (Chetek, Wis.)

·        Emma Singer, 60kg (Spearfish, S.D.)

As a team, Concordia Powerlifting has competed in three previous meets in 2022-23: the Midland Warrior Open (Oct. 8), the Midwest Regionals (Nov. 19-20) and the Nebraska State Championships (Jan. 28). Collegiate powerlifting tests each athlete in the disciplines of squat, bench press and deadlift. In the most recent outing, the Nebraska State Championships, four Bulldogs came away with first-place finishes: Dax Davis, Adrian Hernandez, Hunter Powers and Emma Singer.

More details on the 2023 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships can be found via the USA Powerlifting website HERE.

Four Bulldogs hold their own at Powerlifting Collegiate Nationals

Apr. 17, 2023

ARLINGTON, Texas – It was another first for Concordia University Lifting Sports as four members of the powerlifting portion of the program competed at the 2023 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships held at the Arlington Expo Center in Arlington, Texas, April 13-14. The national championships included more than 1,200 athletes in 10 weight classes from all divisions of collegiate competition. The Bulldogs were represented at nationals by four freshmen in Dax Davis, Kenzie Houser, Rylee Ladd and Emma Singer.

The outing marked the conclusion to the 2022-23 inaugural season for Head Coach Freddie Myles’ squad. The experience at nationals will serve the program well as it aspires for growth moving into 2023-24. Said Myles, “I was pleased with how we did. They’re all freshmen and it was their first time at nationals. It’s a big deal to be able to make it there and will be a good steppingstone for next year.”

Collegiate powerlifting features the squat, bench press and deadlift. A native of Chetek, Wis., Ladd placed 19th out of 49 lifters in the 56kg category. Her top lifts were 117.5kg in squat, 82.5kg in bench and 142.5kg in deadlift. Her total came in at 302.5kg. Meanwhile, Davis placed 28th out of 55 individuals in the men’s 67.5kg class, Kenzie Houser placed 50th out of 70 athletes in the women’s 60kg class and Emma Singer placed 56th out of 70 competitors in the women’s 60kg class. As Myles noted, Davis and Singer set new personal bests in all three lifts and Houser recorded PRs in bench and squat.

Compared to the beginning of the season, Ladd improved nine percent, Davis improved 15 percent and Singer improved 12 percent. As a team, Concordia Powerlifting has competed in three previous meets in 2022-23: the Midland Warrior Open (Oct. 8), the Midwest Regionals (Nov. 19-20) and the Nebraska State Championships (Jan. 28).

Concordia National Championship results

·        Dax Davis, 67.5kg – placed 28th / 55 (527.5)

·        Kenzie Houser, 60kg – placed 50th / 70 (302.5)

·        Rylee Ladd, 56kg – placed 19th / 49 (327.5)

·        Emma Singer, 60kg – placed 56th / 70 (295)

Team winners from the collegiate national championships can be found HERE.

Myles and the program now enter the offseason as the spring semester nears the finish line. Official competitions will resume in the fall of 2023. For more information on Concordia Lifting Sports, check out the program’s homepage HERE.